MoveOn Balks at Proposed FEC Rules Changes by Scaring Nonprofits (FEC Email Needs FReeping! NOW!)

Talon News ^ | April 2, 2004 | Jimmy Moore

[ElephantMan]

SPARTANBURG, SC (Talon News) -- Liberal anti-Bush online political activist group MoveOn.org sent a warning message to its members this week regarding the upcoming ruling by the Federal Election Commission about the legality of so-called 527 groups accepting soft campaign contributions to run political ads.

"The Republican National Committee is pressing the Federal Election Commission to issue new rules that would cripple groups that dare to communicate with the public in any way critical of President Bush or members of Congress," MoveOn.org charged in an e-mail to supporters.

In the e-mail, MoveOn.org attempts to scare "conservative, progressive, labor, religious, secular, social service, charitable, educational, civic participation, [and] issue-oriented" groups into believing the rule changes will be detrimental to their cause by alleging that the ruling will prevent them from speaking out on issues.

However, the Republican National Committee, along with President George W. Bush's reelection campaign, has filed a complaint with the FEC over the connection of specific 527 groups like MoveOn.org and the campaign of likely Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry.

Jill Holtzman Vogel, chief counsel for the RNC, said evidence of coordination between MoveOn.org and other Democratic-supporting 527 groups and the Kerry campaign in violation of the new campaign finance law could not be clearer.

"Senator Kerry, who supported the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act, is now the beneficiary of the single largest conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws in history," she explained in issuing the complaint to the FEC.

In fact, the Massachusetts senator explained when he voted for the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that he supported it because he wanted "to eliminate altogether the capacity of soft money to play the role that it does in our politics."

Yet, MoveOn.org is now operating illegally as an extension of the Kerry campaign because they accept soft money from corporations and unions, which represents an evasion of the ban on large, unregulated contributions in the new campaign finance law, critics argue.

For example, MoveOn.org has been giving Kerry plenty of free campaign ads by running a relentless schedule of political attack ads against Bush for months using donations from liberal billionaires such as George Soros and others.

Nevertheless, MoveOn.org tells its supporters that any action conducted by the FEC regarding donations to various MoveOn.org fundraising efforts will not be traced back to the specific donors.

Blaming unnamed "operatives" in the nation's capitol for "displaying a terrifying disregard for the values of free speech and openness which underlie our democracy," MoveOn.org states the FEC complaint by the RNC and the Bush campaign is a blatant attempt to squelch attacks against Bush.

"Essentially, they are willing to pay any price to stop criticism of Bush," the e-mail continued.

MoveOn.org is encouraging its members to send the FEC public comments along with the sender's full name, e-mail address, and mailing address to Acting Assistant General Counsel Mai T. Dinh by April 9 at politicalcommitteestatus@fec.gov.

In fact, MoveOn.org has requested to see a copy of the messages sent to the FEC.

"We'd love to see a copy of your public comment," MoveOn.org explains, although the group did not indicate whether it wants to receive comments that would support the new rules changes.

Nevertheless, the leftist political group writes, "Please e-mail us a copy [of your comments to the FEC] at FECcomment@moveon.org."

The e-mail lists the names and telephone numbers of the e-mail recipient's two U.S. senators as well as the recipient's U.S. congressman.

Charging the Bush administration with orchestrating an "unholy alliance" with the FEC, MoveOn.org announced the formation of the FEC Working Group to identify "examples of specific consequence for nonprofit groups."

"It's outrageous," MoveOn.org opines.

Nonprofit groups, MoveOn.org warns, who advocate positions for or against congressmen or the president's positions on the issues would be deemed as political groups and be subjected to the laws imposed on them.

"Such changes would cripple the ability of groups to raise and spend funds in pursuit of their mission and could be so ruinous that organizations would be forced to back away from meaningful conversations about public policies that affect millions of Americans," MoveOn.org states.

Groups that would be affected, MoveOn.org adds, include 501(c)(4) advocacy groups, 501(c)(3) charitable groups, labor unions, trade associations, environmental groups, 501 (c)(6) groups, and 527 political action committee groups, such as MoveOn.org.

Also included in the list of affected organizations, according to MoveOn.org, are religious groups that pass out voting record pamphlets, voter registration groups, pro-life groups spreading communication about a lawmaker's position on abortion and civil rights groups.

A public hearing by the FEC is scheduled to take place on April 14-15. A final decision on the rules changes will be made by mid-May and would go into effect by July.

MoveOn.org states the changes could be made retroactive to January 2003.

"It's clear that these rules would immediately silence thousands of groups, of all types, who have raised questions and criticisms of any kind about the Bush Administration, its record and its policies," MoveOn.org concludes, alleging this is nothing more than an election year ploy by the Bush campaign to silence his critics.

If the new rules changes are allowed to go into effect, groups like MoveOn.org will no longer be allowed to use soft campaign contributions to attack the president or any other elected official.

Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved

[mware]

The campaign of Democrat John F. Kerry has hired a new director of online communications -- and the new guy comes from MoveOn.org, the anti-Bush group that Republicans view as a shadow Kerry campaign.

Check out this my friend....The campaign of Democrat John F. Kerry has hired a new director of online communications -- and the new guy comes from MoveOn.org, the anti-Bush group that Republicans view as a shadow Kerry campaign.

[Gen. Longstreet]

Yeah, the RNC (which is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bush-Cheney campaign) doesn't care what happens to other conservative groups. In fact, they'd like to shut them down too, and have the RNC and Bush-Cheney campaigns be the sole recipients of conservative dollars. May not be best for conservatives, for the Constitution, nor even for the party or even, perhaps, for Bush-Cheney, but it's best for the folks running the campaign and the party.

[Liz]

Suit yourself. That's how politics works, like it or not. The point is to reelect Bush. Nothing more, nothing less. If you choose to ignore concerns about 527's, then you'd best go over to DU and play. You'll be more welcome there.

[Gen. Longstreet]

The point is to reelect Bush. Nothing more, nothing less.

Perhaps for you. Not for me. First, let me ask you this: if Bush announced that he had decided to support repeal of all his tax cuts plus an increase in the top bracket beyond that, appoint pro-choice judges to the bench, etc., would you still say that? Of course not. So the point is not only to reelect Bush - presumably we care about why we reelect Bush. I care about the First Amendment and our rights to free speech over the long term.

Second, one element in this discussion has been whether or not the GOP approach would work. I've laid out reasons why it is very unlikely to work. I don't think you've offered much in the way of a convincing response. So now you throw in the towel - well, let's just do it anyway, you say, because the purpose is to reelect Bush. Well, the purpose of massive welfare programs is to improve society. The question is do they work? Same question here, will it work? Should we abandon principle and long-term objectives for possible, but in no way certain, short term gain?

There is no guarantee that what is done with 527s will be a determining factor in Bush's reelection one way or the other. It's quite likely he'll win either way; it's certainly possible he'll lose either way. It's possible - in my view likely - that the GOP strategy on this issue is harming the campaign - they're discouraging conservatives from giving, while the liberals are going ahead. Meanwhile, the effort to shut down the 527s is firing up the most liberal Democrats - especially the Deaniacs and such, who might otherwise sit it out or vote Nader.

you'd best go over to DU and play. You'll be more welcome there.

Cheap, really cheap. That's the kind of thing people say when they're out of real arguments.